Saturday, April 5, 2014

Online Self Defence for Women...






  It's not flashy, it sounds basic and actually, it may not be all that interesting for many of us to watch! It's certainly not SIMPLE information.


This is the kind of stuff my husband loves to teach. Thankfully, he has a captivating way to explain things, and I am a big fan of his teaching method. My biggest criticism however is:

IS THIS REALLY ABOUT BASIC SELF DEFENCE?

Being educated consumers is wise, but wisdom often comes with experience, which many online teachers claim to have PLENTY of…

Most of us won't commit to a lifetime practice. I personally think it should be about AVOIDING conflict. The scenarios may change, but what inspired me to seek instruction is pretty simple, I wanted to avoid getting hurt.

 Learning how to manage conflict and avoiding violence is a big topic, and one most women would rather do without pain.

So how do we know what is helpful?

 In browsing for education, we should keep an open mind and use critical thinking. You should be able to ask questions, safely put it in practice with someone EXPERIENCED, reliable and with INTEGRITY.
Follow your instinct.

YOUR COMPASS IS YOUR GUT!

WHAT I DO LIKE about the above video, is the demonstration that being fit and thin are not pre requisites in learning effective self defence. 

You can start learning today, no matter what your fitness level and age may be.

There is huge benefit in being fit in self defence, but we also need to be aware of the effects of fear. Knowing the fundamentals in self defence mechanics are wonderful, but that alone will not save your life! What many instructors fail to do, especially online, is to share crucial information on prevention, awareness and de-escalation.

 ❃ WHAT I DON'T LIKE about this video, is how unsafe it looks! 

I have seen many injuries resulting from this kind of training with inexperience folks. It takes VERY LITTLE to cause injury. We need to be mindful and care for everyone's welfare when training…

 It can take years to recover from injury due to negligence.


When it comes to training, you will find people with different philosophies in the self defence industry, and like with any other products and services, it can be challenging when it comes time to make a decision, especially if money is involved…

Remember, TECHNIQUE IS NOT EVERYTHING!

You may not be aware about it, but philosophy is often discussed AT LENGTH between experts and self defence instructors. It's a passion for us. If a person thinks they know it all, RUN!
Many people are quite focused on practical knowledge and spending time on the matts, but others are addressing the problem from a different angle and also creating awareness by speaking and writing.

 Conversations often deal with effectiveness, execution. and how to teach. Lately,  a lot is being discussed about how to tackle the VICTIM BLAMING argument. For many men who are committed in creating SAFETY on the planet, being attacked verbally and being bombarded with comments that seem irrational is quite alarming. Most people I know who teach self defence around the world, are amazingly caring and generous individuals.

 That is why I think it's a good idea to be SMART in shopping for Self Defence online.

We are offered to buy into a system we may or may know nothing about. Lets remember that salesmanship is also an art, and that many online classes are questionable and a way to hook you into getting to buy their products. It's a highly competitive industry.That being said, there is much to be said about honesty and having a common goal in creating a SAFER world.

 ❃ A great teacher will tell you to try it, and find out for yourself.

❃ A humble teacher will not claim his or her system is THE BEST and only way to survive.

❃ A responsible teacher will be clear about the SAFETY guidelines and the reality of violence for women PRIOR to jumping to techniques…


Why do we find so much online stuff that deal with physical attacks and not prevention?

THAT is an excellent question.

Here is my guess:

People are bored with prevention and avoidance. Most people want quick and effective methods to deal with an attack. Teachers would rather give you what you want than what you need. We get all excited about how to get out of a grab, but we have very little awareness on what it might look like and feel like when a person has intent to harm or kill, and even less about WHAT IT TAKES to defend against more than one attacker!

So if you want to a good idea on how to make a decision as a consumer of Self Defence for you and your loved ones, look at how much time a teacher spends on prevention. The rest is all damage control.

Once they can touch you, it's too late!


Please feel free to contact me
 with questions or comments.

Warmly,

J Kaikan Boyd
stateofminddojo@gmail.com


No comments:

Post a Comment

What say you?